Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

BLM Begins Northeast County “Re-Engagement”

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) furthered its ongoing process of “re-engaging” with the communities of northeastern Clark County last week. BLM Las Vegas Field Office Manager Gayle Marrs-Smith made an appearance at the Moapa Town Advisory Board (MTAB) meeting on Tuesday, July 26 and gave a brief presentation to the board and the Moapa residents assembled there.
It was the first public meeting attended by BLM officials in the northeast Clark County region since the agency’s standoff with supporters of Bunkerville rancher Cliven Bundy in April 2014. Since that time, BLM personnel have not been allowed to conduct any work or operations in the region due to safety and security concerns.
Marrs-Smith said that the past two years have been difficult for the regional BLM staff because of the amount of work that was needed in the region and not able to be done.
“It has been a long two years,” she said. “And it has been rough for us. We have gotten way behind on our work. Now we want to go back out and get back engaged. But we want to do it with the communities’ support.”
The MTAB meeting was the first in a series of public meetings that will take the BLM officials across all of the communities of northeast Clark County, Marrs-Smith said. Next week, similar presentations will be made to the Mesquite City Council, the Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board and to the Bunkerville Town Advisory Board...more

"Re"-engagement is probably a misnomer.

County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, who was in attendance at the
meeting, told board members that she had urged BLM officials to come
back and engage in a positive dialog with the northeast county community
residents.
“This is a big step for the BLM to come back,” Kirkpatrick said. “I gave
my word to work together and collaborate with them for the best
interests of the community.”

Local government reached out to the BLM, rather than the other way around. Let's recall that FLPMA requires the BLM to "coordinate the land use inventory, planning, and management activities of or for such lands" with State and local government.